Svalbard reindeer population size and trends in four sub-areas of Edgeøya

In summer 2006 Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) in southwestern Edgeøya (Plurdalen, Grunnlinjesletta, Siegelfjellet and Burmeisterfjellet) showed a low population (181 animals) and recruitment rate, in terms of both calves (9.4%) and yearlings (1.2%). The low recruitment rates wer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Research
Main Author: Reimers, Eigil
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2012
Subjects:
Svalbard reindeer
winter mortality
population regulation
Edgeøya
Burmeisterfjellet
Plurdalen
Siegelfjellet
Svalbard
Polar Research
Rangifer tarandus
Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus
svalbard reindeer
Online Access:https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/2606
https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.11089
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Summary:In summer 2006 Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) in southwestern Edgeøya (Plurdalen, Grunnlinjesletta, Siegelfjellet and Burmeisterfjellet) showed a low population (181 animals) and recruitment rate, in terms of both calves (9.4%) and yearlings (1.2%). The low recruitment rates were not accompanied by high winter mortality: of only five carcasses found, none were calves born in 2005. A comparison with survey data from 1969 in a restricted part of the study area (Plurdalen and Grunnlinjesletta) shows a consistently low recruitment rate since 1975, indicating a stable or slowly decreasing population.Keywords Edgeøya; population regulation; recruitment rates; Svalbard reindeer; winter mortality; Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus (Published: 15 May 2012)Citation: Polar Research 2012, 31, 11089, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.11089

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